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Israel begins demolishing headquarters of UN agency for Palestinian refugees

A photograph shows an Israeli flag fluttering above demolished structures inside the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem on January 20, 2026. The chief of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees denounced the Israeli authorities’ seizure of assets from its east Jerusalem compound earlier this month, which police told AFP was part of a debt-collection operation. The compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem has been empty of UNRWA staff since January, when the law banning its operations took effect after a months-long battle over its work in the Gaza Strip. Israel had accused UNRWA of providing cover for Hamas militants, and the legislation also forbids contact between the agency and Israeli officials.

Israeli bulldozers began demolitions at the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in east Jerusalem on Tuesday, in what the organisation called an “unprecedented attack”.

UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler said in a statement to AFP that Israeli forces “stormed into” the compound shortly after 7am (0500 GMT) and ousted security guards from the site, before bulldozers entered and began demolishing buildings.

“This is an unprecedented attack against UNRWA and its premises. And it also constitutes a serious violation of international law and the privileges and immunities of the United Nations,” Fowler said.

“This should be a wake-up call,” he added.

“What happens today to UNRWA can happen tomorrow to any other international organisation or diplomatic mission around the world.”

An AFP photographer reported that far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir had made a brief visit to the site.

“This is a historic day, a day of celebration, and a very important day for governance in Jerusalem,” Ben Gvir was quoted as saying in a statement.

“For years, these supporters of terrorism were here, and today they are being removed from here along with everything they built in this place. This is what will happen to every supporter of terrorism,” he added.

Israel has repeatedly accused UNRWA of providing cover for Hamas militants, claiming that some of its employees took part in the group’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza.

A series of investigations, including one led by France’s former foreign minister Catherine Colonna, found some “neutrality-related issues” at UNRWA but stressed Israel had not provided conclusive evidence for its headline allegation.

– ‘No immunity’ –

In a statement, the Israeli foreign ministry defended the demolitions and said “the state of Israel owns the Jerusalem compound”.

“Today’s move does not constitute a new policy, but rather the implementation of existing Israeli legislation concerning UNRWA-Hamas.”

The compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem has been empty of UNRWA staff since January 2025, when a law banning its operations took effect after a months-long battle over its work in the Gaza Strip.

“UNRWA-Hamas had already ceased its operations at this site and no longer had any UN personnel or UN activity there,” the foreign ministry said.

“The compound does not enjoy any immunity and the seizure of this compound by Israeli authorities was carried out in accordance with both Israeli and international law,” it added.

Though the UNRWA ban applies in east Jerusalem due to its annexation by Israel, the agency still operates in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

In early December, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini denounced the seizure by Israeli authorities of assets from the compound, which police told AFP was part of a debt-collection operation.

In a post on X, Lazzarini said authorities took “furniture, IT equipment and other property”, while the compound’s UN flag was replaced with an Israeli one.

At the time, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement strongly condemning the “unauthorised entry”, saying the compound remained “United Nations premises and is inviolable and immune from any other form of interference”.

Months after the war in Gaza began in October 2023, Israeli authorities declared Guterres and Lazzarini as persona non grata in Israel.

AFP

Source: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/01/israel-begins-demolishing-headquarters-of-un-agency-for-palestinian-refugees

Good

UNRWA is a terrorist organisation

Israel! Great country. Bravo!

Free stuff. Come and cry us a river.

The world is standing behind Israel and daddy Trump

Very Nice

Way to go since UN refuses to be neutral

They are free to set up shop in Gaza .. Israel wouldn’t object to that.

Very very good.... no nonsense

Things go happen this year oo

I'm solidly behind you Israeli...ride on

Isn't this same building that had tunnels upon tunnels underground built by hamas?

Tradepunter2:
Very very good.... no nonsense

Isreal is number one no nonesense country in the world!

What do you expect from evil terrorist people?

The problem of the world.

The cancer of the world.

Mossad terrorists are just so disgusting.

Ww2 ended badly, if not the world would have been save without this people.

ONLY THE DOT NATION OF ISRAEL THAT HAS THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE AS IT'S DEFENSE CAN DO THIS.

And Allah will surely help those who help His cause. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might." (Quran 22:40)



The islamic Allah is not around




Let's shout more so he can hear

Allah Akbar
Allahu akbar
Note ( akbar means mouse in hebrew language )

We stand with Israel!!!!

That's a terrorist building and the world knows that

Israel has already seen all the activities that the terrorists planned to use the building for. We are always miles ahead of the enemy.

Forget, not all men are created equal

The state of Israel is nothing but a terrorist state that is always out to create chaos and banditry.

Humanity is over religion… Religion causes segregation why humanity brings everyone together humanity is peace…. Only a fool will keep supporting evils.

chrisxxx:
Israel! Great country. Bravo!

Humanity is greater than religion.. Religion causes segregation why humanity brings everyone together humanity is peace…. Only a fool will keep supporting evils. Think I’m humanity first and have peace of mind grow up.

Goo0dHardDick:
The world is standing behind Israel and daddy Trump

Eleph:
The state of Israel is nothing but a terrorist state that is always out to create chaos and banditry.

Name 1 eru arabu

We are waiting

Humanity is over religion…. Religion causes segregation why humanity brings everyone together humanity is peace…. Only a fool will keep supporting evils

Anything that is associated with Islam is evil.

I used to be against Israel before but this year 2026,I have turned a new leaf.

With the way they behave in Nigeria,enough is enough.

Muslims countries can and will never help their fellow Muslims nations.

If I am lying watch how Egypt are treating their fellow Muslims (palestine) same thing with Saudi Arabia. They hate themselves so much that can not allow any form of asylum in their country except Christian nations come to their rescue.

UN agency for philistine terrorists should be brought down.

More diesel to Israeli tanks and bulldozers 😊.

Jerusalem and the whole land of Israel, including Judea and Samaria, Hebron, Bethlehem, etc. belongs to Israel.
People that call some place ''east Jerusalem'' or ''occupied Palestinian territory'' (sic) are only deceiving themselves and being mischievous.

datola:
Isreal is number one no nonesense country in the world!

As in.... they know how to deal with people are knownly give themselves up to demons